Riders re-sign two Canadians, add offensive lineman to roster

A couple of Canadian players have plans to remain in Saskatchewan for the next two years.

On Wednesday, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders announced they had signed long-snapper Jorgen Hus and running back Kienan LaFrance to two-year contract extensions.

Both players were eligible to become free agents in February. Saskatchewan still has 48 pending free agents.

The Riders also announced Wednesday they had added American offensive lineman Tommy Champion to their roster.

Hus, a 32-year-old Saskatoon product, has played 95 regular-season games for the Riders, spending all seven of his CFL seasons with Saskatchewan after he was acquired in 2015 after a trade with the Edmonton Eskimos.

LaFrance played in all 14 of the Riders’ games in 2021, contributing 48 rushing yards on seven carries as well as 69 receiving yards on eight catches.

The 30-year-old Winnipeg-born tailback is entering his seventh CFL season. He has played with the Riders for three of those seasons (2017, 2019-21), the Ottawa Redblacks for two (2015-16), and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for one (2018).

In 94 career games, LaFrance has rushed 156 times for 642 yards and four touchdowns, made 44 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns, and recorded 36 special-teams tackles.

Champion was last with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks after signing with them as a free agent. He played in two pre-season games with the Seahawks.

Prior to that, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman played in 18 games for the Mississippi State University Bulldogs.